I hadn’t really thought much about Iceland as a vacation destination. I’d heard it was a country that cared about the environment, which I love, and that it’s a very hip place to visit. Carolyn’s son, Riley really wanted to see it and Carolyn and her family invited me on their trip, so I thought…, sure, why not? I hope they can stand me for a whole week.
They planned everything and I did pretty much nothing except pack for the trip, which is my kind of trip. I don’t enjoy planning but will do it under duress, so this was perfect.
Our departing flight was delayed due to storms but a wonderful United Airlines employee in Pittsburgh named, Stacy Stoutamyer, who deserves a raise, got us on the right plane and we were on our way!
As you know, a great trip is even more memorable when something crappy and unexpected happens like VRBO cancelling the wonderful reservation Carolyn had made for the six of us for our first three days there. Poor Carolyn was on a stream of nonstop calls the morning we arrived to try and figure out arrangements for six people at the height of tourist season in Reykjavik. (I still have to look that up to spell it correctly!)
That she didn’t experience heart failure at that point is remarkable because this was a family trip of a lifetime and she wanted it to be great. She missed her calling and should be a diplomat because she talked someone into getting lovely, comfy places for all of us those first three nights. Thank God, the next three night’s reservations were not cancelled…but it does make me think twice about scheduling a VRBO in the future.
My undying thanks go to Carolyn’s daughter Reagan and her boyfriend Evan, who who actually put together a white board of activities for us to do and to Riley for wanting to go in the first place! They did a fantastic job planning our itinerary in Reykjavic, Vic and traveling the Golden Circle.
We saw the largest church in Iceland, Hallgrímskirkja, which means Hallgrimur’s Church. We walked the Rainbow Road, bought souvenirs, and hiked. I also have to thank Chuck, who drove most of the time. I love that Icelanders drive on the same side of the road that we do. Iceland is very strict on drunk driving, so the one time Chuck did have a beer, he handed the keys over to me.
The weather was in the 50s, overcast and slightly drizzly most days so my hair looked like the nest that a couple of mourning doves recently built in my Boston fern. More on that later.
We saw a lava show, which is as close to molten lava as I am comfy getting. We ate warm bread and soup afterward. I had lamb soup that was delicious and reminded me of something my family in Abruzzo would have made.
We soaked in the Blue Lagoon hot springs which were amazing. We walked along gorgeous pathways in a canyon with high stone walls.
We climbed into caves. There was a group of cute Asian girls who were amazed that I actually made it up to the cave so we took a photo together.
The climb back down tested both my hiking abilities and the strength of my bowels because I kept envisioning myself dead at the bottom of the very steep hill. Thank you Evan, who kept a hand held out for me, just in case, and Reagan and Riley who waited patiently until I made it to the bottom.
We stopped at a bus that was converted into a coffee house, called Skool Beans Cafe. It was so cool (hence the name) and the people working there were so friendly and fun. Their hot chocolate was the best I’ve ever had. Their cups were so cute, I bought two!
We got our pictures taken as Vikings, we saw waterfalls, from the front, from underneath and from inside a cave…Iceland has a LOT of waterfalls!
And the sun actually peeked out a couple of times when we were there.
We saw adorable puffins that look like something Disney animators thought up, they are so stinking cute!
We went grocery shopping at a Costco! Yes, Costco is in Iceland and naturally I bought a chicken. They are just as good in Iceland as they are here. But their hot dogs are slightly more than $1.50 there. In fact, the one downside to Iceland is that it is very pricey. Eating out costs quite a bit more than it does here, which is probably why Icelanders love the cost-conscious hot dog.
Speaking of hot dogs, Icelandic hot dogs are pretty dang good. Apparently Iceland is famous for its hot dogs, which I did not know because I did absolutely no research whatsoever, making me the worst possible tourist. But Evan was determined to go and get a hot dog because his friend said they were really good, plus he had given Evan a coupon for a free one!
They put a layer of crunchy fried onion bits on the bottom of the bun, then the hot dog, then ketchup, mustard, mayo and fresh onions on them. The fried onions definitely added some crunch and flavor, which I thought was pretty good, but I got mine without the fresh onions.
The fish and chips were outstanding! We ate thick pieces of Icelandic cod covered in batter and fried to perfection. I must learn to do that!
There weren’t a lot of veggie options in the restaurants. Only one percent of the land is arable and the growing season is May to September and focuses mostly on root vegetables. Summer temps hover around 50 to 60 degrees, so most of the produce is grown in hot houses that get heated by the geothermal waters that are all over Iceland.
The water in homes in Iceland is heated by geothermal energy, which I suppose is the one big advantage to living in a land where a volcano can blow at any time.
We visited the world’s only Penis Museum. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s called the Icelandic Phallalogical Museum, which is a fancy name for a penis museum. If you’re thin-skinned, or respectable, you may not want to click on that link. I won’t be including those photos for the sake of you website visitors who are upstanding members of society. You should see their creativity when it comes to designing dining options.
We hiked on a glacier covered in volcanic black dirt. We ate pizza with black crust that is made with charcoal infused dough (it didn’t taste any different to me). But the pizza at Black Crust Pizzeria in Vik was quite good, which was why we had to wait in line so dang long. We did meet a couple of cool tourists from Switzerland who were telling us about traveling Iceland in a van, so we didn’t mind the wait.
We walked through a real ice cave, and through a man made one in a museum where you get to sit in an ice chair…both of which were so cool…um literally.
I would go back in a nanosecond. It was one of the most beautiful, rugged, smoldering places I’ve ever seen.
Iceland looked to me like what the world might have looked like in it’s earlier stages, with volcanic rock, black dirt and sand, and hillsides covered in green as far as you can see with sheep and horses peacefully grazing. Now I want to go back, see the Northern Lights in winter and have a lot more fish, chips and hot chocolate.
If you are thinking about it, I say, go! I feel incredibly lucky that I, not only had a family who wanted me to go with them, but actually tolerated me the entire week we were there! Thank you Carolyn, Chuck, Riley, Reagan and Evan. It really was a trip of a lifetime!
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